"Carrying the bag" from Marc Benioff

Here is an interview with Marc Benioff -- the CEO of Salesforce.com. Very early on my career, I realized starting at the bottom of any organization and/or learning about the real users how they do their work, gives the best picture of what an user wants and how you can sell to them.

Almost two decades ago, indeed I did start at the bottom -- as a lowly performance improvement analyst at $23,000 per annum salary, which subsequently led me to "learn to see" and understand how one of the most complex (process-wise) organization on planet aka "hospital" works. A learning that I could not have replicated or learned in any other way.

Our PAKRA products simulate how users do their work and learn .. i.e. customer-driven, hence Marc Benioff's comments resonates with me and are reinforced every day in our PAKRA culture.

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Salesforce.com’s Marc Benioff: ‘Many CEOs are afraid to get too personal’

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Teachers are Getting Creative.

This is from earlier in the year, but the message is still very interesting. I have noticed more and more video games targeted at teaching basic skills and, according to this article from Modbee.com, many schools are picking up on the trend. Come to think of it, weren't many of us playing The Oregon Trail in school 12-15 years ago? Just goes to show how much you can learn when having fun!

http://www.modbee.com/life/buzzz/story/555416.html

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Girls can play and have fun. Games with intrigue and strategy component remains important.

Watch this fairly old TED Talks:
Brenda Laurel on games for girls

Fellas! We can all don our Ma Kali avatars. Watch out!

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My kids are not geniuses. Please refund $29.95 for the product I bought.

Today, I read this New York Times article about Disney's recent policy to offer refunds to all parents who purchased Baby Einstein educational videos and supposedly their child DID NOT become a genius.

I think this is a great example of a business standing behind their customer guarantee -- "we will refund when your expectation is not met, provided you acknowledge your incredulous beliefs were not met."

From Disney's standpoint, how many mothers will really acknowledge that their precious child did not turn out to be a genius?

I say the score for frivolous class action attorneys: 0, business smarts: 1
No Einstein in Your Crib? Get a Refund

Mr. Steve Levitt: Here is another case study for you!

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Is this our time? Is this our moment?

Web 2.0 conference is underway. As usual, cheerful and interesting ideas are being presented. One of those this year is from Mark Pincus.

A hunch and gut again is all good "shaping excitement" vision. Can someone kick it up a notch? That's the question that I want an answer.

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Web 2.0: Zynga’s Mark Pincus predicts an economy built around social apps

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"When I grow up I want to be middle management?"

Many years ago during Superbowl -- Monster.com launched its first nationwide ads. One of the ads had a young teen in B&W backdrop saying, "When I grow up I want to be a middle management?" There were many others -- such as "When I grow up I want to file all day." Loved them all.

Remember y'all. It is hard to be a middle manager -- because one has to truly manage up, bottom and peer -- in all 360 degrees. It is one of the hardest scenario for any manager. Burn-out can be high and scope of influence spreads as far as the petty bureaucrat's 4X6 wooden desk.

I find myself thinking about it. I found an article about Middle management excellence.

I have no beef with those who want structured existence and want to forget about their work-lives, once they leave the parking lot of their work-place. They can earn a fair living and and do things in remaining hours in the day that's not "like" work. It is a great choice. Additionally every company needs them, so there is risk-free with some guaranteed certitude to always have a job.

However, if one is a little bit ambitious, a little bit wanting to do more at one's job, then one has to make a choice and work towards transcending their current predicament. They must make it a self-fulfilling prophecy. Ask oneself, "What should I do to lead, than being led?" "What do I enjoy doing?" "What are my priorities?

There are easy ways to transcend it. I have seen "individual contributors" and "consultants" make this transition and leap beyond the middle management woes quickly.

Others -- they have to start thinking where they want to be be. It is all in one's mind.

Rest -- enjoy your life outside work. That too can be pleasant.

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Speculation Abounds - Price of Xbox 360 Gold Membership to Double?

If you are a gamer and the Xbox 360 is your console of choice, then it is likely that you are paying $50 per year for a Gold Membership. This membership allows you to download content, accumulate friends lists, play others on-line, and even stream NetFlix content. At $50 per year, or $4 per month, most users hardly mind the fee.

What if this fee were to DOUBLE? Many industry experts (including a blogger at www.pcworld.com) feel that it is only a matter of time before this happens. Will the gamer community be tolerant of a 100% price increase when they are already paying $60 per new game and $1.99 or more for downloadable content? You've paid at least $300 for your console, $50 for each extra wireless remote that you've bought, and $50 for a wireless router that allows you to tap in to your internet service. Have I mentioned that each rechargeable battery for your controllers runs you $20 and the charger for that battery is another $20? While $8 per month does not sound that excessive, it certainly isn't easy to stomach in light of the built in expenses of gaming on an Xbox 360.

For more speculation on a Gold Membership price increase, take a look at Matt Peckham's blog on www.pcworld.com.

What If Xbox LIVE Cost $100?

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